


Open Up

by NeekQueen



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Controlling Spouse, Curtis will never be referred to as his real name, M/M, Matt Holt & Shiro Friendship, Modern Era, Open Marriage, SHEITH - Freeform, Same-Sex Marriage, Slow Burn, This is self indulgent as hell oops, [Man] sucks, toxic marriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:28:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27802312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeekQueen/pseuds/NeekQueen
Summary: Shiro has been married for 4 years, when suddenly his husband decides that they either open their marriage or divorce. Shiro, ever the people-pleaser, is not quite on board, but he wants to be a good husband and not face the potential embarrassment of his family finding out he got divorced. So he agrees, and enter Keith, super feisty, and super hot. Shiro isn’t one to try and rock the boat, but Keith just might change that.
Relationships: Curtis/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 28
Kudos: 55





	1. Chapter 1

Takashi Shirogane thought he had a relatively easy life. He’d been happily married for four years, to a wonderful man he met while they were both fighting the same war. He had a (very) small group of close friends that he regularly interacted with, and that knew most of the details about his life, both good and bad. And he had a stable job that kept him connected with a part of his life that made him the happiest. 

As always, with the pros, there were some cons. First, his husband wasn’t always the nicest person on the planet, but everyone had their off days sometimes. So, Shiro tried to keep himself from rocking the boat as much as possible. As strong as he was, he’d put his past of stubborn macho-ism behind him, and having petty arguments with his husband about why the dishes weren’t done or why the house was all dusty wasn’t his thing. Secondly, he couldn’t see his friends as much as he wanted, because of the aforementioned not-always-nice husband, and they ate dinner at least 4 times a week, for what Shiro considered to be their best time for communication and discussion. His friends thought that it was a little bit of overkill, but Shiro always retorted with the same spiel: “The three of us hang out at least twice a month. That’s more than a lot of people our age can say. Plus, he’s not restricting me from you guys. We just like our time together.” Of course, one of these days, Shiro will finally see it. But, until then, his friends suck it up and support him as best they can. 

Thirdly, there was his job. He loved teaching about aerospace engineering and the magnificence of space. He loved watching the new cadets come in with stars in their eyes when they realized who their teacher was. He loved how most of the time, they gave him their undivided attention when he was lecturing. However, nothing would ever compare to actually going to space. Nothing would compare to the feeling of leaving Earth’s gravity and placing all your faith in the engineers that built the hunk of metal you’re sitting in, hoping that it’s enough against the vacuum. If the lander hadn’t malfunctioned on re-entry, he’d still have his arm, and he’d still be going up there.

But beggars can’t be choosers, and that accident had him (and his family) begging for his life. So he’d settled for this, for what he knew he could grab and hold onto without anyone or anything trying to take it away. For what he knew could just stay the same without anything drastically changing, despite the PTSD, despite the nightmares. He settled for stability and security. 

At least, that’s what he  _ thought.  _ How could he be so wrong?

“Takashi, we need to talk.” Customs walked into Shiro’s home office while the other man was grading papers. These kids. As brilliant as they were, some of them might need a redo on this assignment.

“Yeah? What’s going on?” He turned and removed his glasses. Despite everything, he still forgot the 20/20/20 rule. It’s like he could  _ feel  _ his eyes relaxing. It brought him more relief than he cared to admit. Sometimes he wished he was back in the past, where assignments were done on paper. It would strain his eyes less.

“So,” Coattails exhaled, as if he’d just sprinted a mile. “I’ve been wanting to bring this up for a while now, but I wasn’t quite sure how to. Just hear me out please?” 

Shiro eyed him warily, a kernel of unease slowly expanding in his stomach. He hoped it wasn’t what he thought it was. Regardless, he nodded.

Calligraphy swallowed. “I’ve been feeling a bit unsatisfied over the last few months. I-it isn’t you. I just... feel like I'm not being as fulfilled as I want to be. I thought I was spending too much time at work, but that wasn’t it. I even contemplated getting us a pet, but that didn’t seem right either.”

The kernel of unease I'm Shiro's stomach expanded to the size of his fist. 

“W-what do you mean ‘unsatisfied?’ Are you asking me for a divorce?” Shiro felt his nerves fraying. To him, there had been absolutely nothing wrong. He couldn;t even tell that something had been bothering his husband all this time. He was blindsided.

“No! No, of course not. Like I said, it isn’t you. I’ve been talking with my therapist, to see if he could help me figure out what’s going on with me. I feel like I’ve missed out on something, and he says that my feelings are valid, so I...I want to open our marriage.

“Open our-? What the hell does that mean?” Shiro felt himself riling up. He felt himself getting more and more upset, but it was hard to do anything else but that. Especially with how Cabbage looked as wounded and defensive as he did.

“Takashi, I spent my school years focused on getting into the Garrison. I spent my Garrison years training and fighting a war we weren’t prepared for, that we somehow barely scraped through. I, almost quite literally, didn’t have the time to have a love life. I have only ever been with you.”

Shiro nearly short-circuited, and ended up only blinking in disbelief. It was almost laughable, how accusatory this all sounded. He made it sound like Shiro was the one who initiated their relationship. Like Shiro was the one who held him back all this time. 

“If I recall correctly," he started, and raised his hand to point at his husband. "And I _do_ , you are the one that asked me out. _You_ are the one that asked me to marry you! Every major decision in this relationship has been brought up by you. If you wanted to know other people, if you wanted to experience other people, you could have explained, and broken up with me. I’m not some fragile piece of glass, regardless of what that accident did to me. I’m a _grown man_ , and I know I could’ve handled it. It would have been better to leave me then, instead of now.”

Cactoid sighed. “I already told you, I don’t want to leave you! You’re practically every person’s dream husband on this planet, probably in this universe. You’ve been nothing but good to me. I didn’t want to take chances with what was out there when I had you  _ right there. _ ” 

“Then why do you want to take chances now?” 

Cooper winced, and crossed the room to rest a hand on Shiro’s shoulder. Shiro himself was trying his hardest to not let his emotions get the best of him. He didn’t need to let Cardstock see how much this was affecting him. 

“I already told you that this isn’t about you. It isn’t a question of whether you’re right for me or not. I know you are. This is something that I have to deal with, and this is the only way that my therapist and I could think of to do it. Please, could we just try this for a month or so? I’m not leaving you. I don’t want to leave you. This is for the teenager in me who never got a chance to explore what’s out there. And this doesn’t have to be a thing only I do. You could go out and find someone, too.” 

“But what if I don’t want to go out and find someone? What if I only want you?” He had a control on his voice, but he knew that if he looked at his husband, his eyes would betray him. So, he looked down, barely speaking over a whisper to protect his dignity. 

“I’m sorry, Takashi. I don’t have an answer for that.” Cadmium sighs.

Shiro continued to look anywhere but at his husband. What felt like hours, but realistically was only a few seconds, passed and suddenly he had a great idea. 

“I’m going out. Don’t wait up for me.” He stood and exited the room without so much as a glance at Currency. As he grabbed his wallet and keys, he shot a text to his friends to meet him at a nearby bar. 

“Where are you going? Shouldn’t we talk about this more,” Curriculum asked. He followed after Shiro and watched him put on his shoes from across their living room, while having the nerve to look upset. Why is  _ he _ upset? He's not the one who'd just been asked to share his husband.

“I told you. Out." Shiro hated how bitter he sounded. He didn't want to be rude to him, but at the same time, he was hurt. Angry, even. His response was probably very much warranted. "I need some time to think.” He doesn’t think he owed the man an explanation, but that wasn't how he did things, even when he was upset. However, he did leave without saying goodbye, but he knew that no one would blame him in that specific situation.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro laments at the local bar with his friends.

When Shiro walked into the bar, he immediately spotted Allura and Matt waving to him from a booth in the back. As he approached, they each began speaking after each other. 

“Ordered your usual,” Matt’s tone was nonchalant, obviously waiting for Shiro to actually sit down and explain the details before revealing how he really felt. 

“Shiro, it’s nice to see you, although I wish it were under better circumstances,” Allura greeted him with all the grace of a princess. 

“Thanks, Matt. And you’re right Allura. I wish it was, too.” 

Matt snorted. “It could’ve been. If Crisco wasn’t such an idiot.” 

“Matthew Holt,” Allura admonished, sounding almost exactly like Matt’s mother, Colleen. “The least you could do is call the man by his proper name.” Despite her stern face, there was mirth in her eyes, and both of them knew that she wasn't completely serious.

“I will not, and you can’t make me. I’d only do it if Shiro had a problem with it.  _ Do  _ you have a problem with it?” He turned his head to look at his friend, who looked moments away from throwing his head back in laughter.

“You know what, I actually don’t. It’s not like he’s done anything recently to deserve it.” 

Matt winced, half playfully. “Okay, ouch. Wasn’t expecting that.” 

Shiro threw his hands up in frustration. “I’m serious! I have spent the last FOUR years damn near being that man’s pretty little househusband, and for what? For him to tell me he feels like he’s missing out? To make it into my fault that he’s never had an experience with someone that wasn’t me? HE’S the one who initiated every part of our relationship. I wasn't even the one who proposed! None of this is my fault.” 

“You’re completely right, Shiro. It’s not,” Allura responded, while Matt nodded in agreement.

It was then that a waitress dropped off their drinks, and a glass of water for each of them. It gave Shiro the few seconds he needed to recenter himself, as well as to take a calming breath before he jumped back into it.

“I don’t even know what he expects of me anymore. He said if I wanted, I was well within my right to go find someone as well. Like that's something I want. I'm a happily married man...at least, I thought I was.”

Matt sighed after a hefty swig of his beer. “If ya ask me, I think you should dump his sorry ass. He’s gonna marry the ‘Golden Boy of the Garrison’, the best pilot the world has ever seen, and say that isn’t enough. Like, how dumb could he be?”

“Ugh. I thought that was what he was suggesting at first. He sounded so hurt, like I was the one who was bringing all of this up. Like I hadn’t dedicated so much of myself and my time to our marriage.”

“Now, hold on,” Allura interjected. “I don’t think that this is enough to divorce over. Maybe a session with a couples’ counselor will help the two of you straighten this out.” She offered a helpful smile, while Matt gave her a flat, unimpressed look. 

“That wouldn’t be too bad of an idea, if he hadn’t brought up that his therapist was the one who suggested this open relationship shit in the first place, multiple times.” Shiro’s been slowly nursing an Old Fashioned this whole time, but after revealing this new fact, he downed what was left in the glass and nearly slammed it back down on the table, before remembering it was in his prosthetic hand and slowed down his movements dramatically. 

“Hmm, that does complicate things.” Allura mused to herself while playing with the rim of her glass. 

“Can we please change the subject? I don’t want to think about it anymore.” Shiro tried to not sound exasperated, and he hoped it wasn't as noticeable as he thought it was.

The three of them ran through two more rounds of drinks and 4 glasses of water before calling it quits. It was nearly 10:30 pm, and Shiro was grateful that tomorrow was Saturday. 

“Call us if you need anything!” Allura yelled across the parking lot. 

“Yeah,” Matt agreed. “Like a place to stay or an alibi.” He wasn't drunk by any means, but that statement alone made the other two doubt the fact for a second. 

“Thanks, guys. I’ll see you Monday. Probably.” 

By the time Shiro made it home, it was a little past 11, and Caeoma was asleep on the couch. The man shifted at the sound of Shiro closing and locking the door, and had his eyes open once his husband had taken off his shoes and was trying to cross the living room.

Shiro mentally cursed. "I didn't mean to wake you." 

"What time is it, even? You've never stayed out this late." Centimeter rubbed at his eyes for a second and yawned as he spoke.

Shiro, on the other hand, bristled. "I told you, I went out. I was with Matt and Allura. And it's not even midnight." He paused before continuing, and made the conscious decision to be a bit petty. "Do you really think you have any room to be on my case right now?"

His husband deflated a little, and shot Shiro a remorseful look. Shiro, however, refused to let the other man guilt trip him like this, and proceeded on across the room and towards their bedroom. He heard Cabman get up and hesitantly follow him, and he made a decision to be petty once again.

"You have a right to be upset, but I was hoping maybe we could talk a little more about this? Now that you're home?" 

Shiro didn't respond. Rather, he grabbed two pillows off of their bed, as well as a blanket that was draped in the chair near the window. Before Ceruse could enter the room fully, he shoved the collected items into the other man's hands, with a touch more force than he needed to. 

"I still need some time. Don't think that just because I hung out with some friends that I've forgotten how you came to me with this whole situation. Good night." 

Cuprum seemed to take the hint and backed out of the doorway, which gave Shiro the chance to shut it in his husband's face. Was it the most mature reaction? No. Did Shiro care about being mature right now? Also a big no. He knew he'd probably feel a bit better after a night's rest, and he'd have a clearer head to respond to the issue in the morning. But for now, he was going to be petty.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you'd to catch up to others who get to see this earlier, visit my [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/neekqueen1)


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so begins the aftermath of Curtain's request.

When Shiro woke the next morning, he immediately knew that his husband was not home. There were no noises coming from the kitchen, bathroom, or living room, and he couldn't feel upset about it at all. Right, it was Saturday. Curiums' day to see his therapist. As he got out of bed and headed into the kitchen to start his coffee, he felt how cold the house was and could tell that the place had been empty for some time. Still, he felt nothing negative about the realization. Was this what it was like to fall out of love with someone? Or was he just numbing himself to any more of his husband's emotional blows so he was not as blindsided as he was yesterday?

Nevermind that, he needed coffee. After he prepped the machine and hit the start button, he headed back to his bathroom to wash his face and brush his teeth. Despite the alcohol he'd consumed last night with his friends, the waters they all downed after that sobered him up before he'd driven home, and protected him from a bad hangover now. Sure, he might be a little more tired than usual, but it was nothing he couldn't fix. 

His morning went smoothly, far smoother than it ever had when Cuspate was waking up with him. Shiro would try to engage in conversation, always keeping it light and simple, while also trying to get a sense of what time his husband would be home that evening. However, the man in question would always give him short answers, in the sort of gruff tone that made Shiro think he was being overly annoying. To not have to worry about what he said or how he said it for once was pretty nice, as well as being able to enjoy his coffee in peace with no worry.

He spent the rest of his morning grading papers and cleaning his office. He wasn’t messy in any regard, but when he graded multiple assignments at once, things tended to get out of hand. By 3 pm, he had organized all of the papers by assignment, class, and in alphabetical order. Returning these on Monday would be a cinch. But, with finishing that, he was out of things to do for the day. Sure, he could go running or to the gym, but he had already done that 4 times this week. There was such a thing as  _ too much _ exercise. 

Thankfully, he was saved from boredom by Matt, who, for some reason, had decided to actually call him, instead of texting like he usually did. 

“Shirogane! How’s my favorite Astro-Engineering teacher?” Matt was far too excited for his phone call to be anything innocent. 

Shiro rolled his eyes with a smile. “What do you want, Holt?” 

“I was wondering if you’d be so kind as to accompany me to dinner. One of Katie’s friends is performing at the open mic night at the cafe Lotor owns. She said he could use the audience.” 

Shiro thought about declining for all of a second before he heard the garage door open and shut loud enough that he knew his husband was home and frustrated. 

“Yeah sure, Matt. I’ll meet you there. What time?” He cradled his phone between his shoulder and ear, and used his now free hands to logout of his laptop and slid it into his messenger bag. Depending on how the night was going to go, he wouldn’t have the time or the energy to do anything work related tomorrow. 

“It starts at 7 pm, but Katie wants us there earlier than that so she can give us the rundown. So, how about we meet there at, say, 6:30?”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you then.” Shiro hung up after that, and steeled himself for having any sort of conversation with Callow. He had no desire to talk to his husband at the moment. Sure, they should probably have another discussion about a certain subject matter, but at the same time, it caused a whole host of emotions that he didn’t like. He didn’t like having serious conversations under the influence of multiple negative emotions. He didn’t want to get caught saying things he didn’t mean. He didn’t want to make promises he couldn’t keep. To have a conversation, charged and volatile with negative emotions, was like a ticking time-bomb to Shiro. 

Nevertheless, he knew that he would have to exchange at least a few words with the other man. So, he steeled himself, and left his office and headed towards the kitchen. Captious was standing by the sink, facing away from Shiro and staring out of the window. They both stood in their respective spots for several moments, neither seemingly willing to speak. Then, the moment that Shiro opened his mouth to say something, Castigate spoke. 

“Have you had your time to think?” 

Shiro resisted the urge to huff out a sigh. “I have. I didn’t think about it much, but I did do some thinking. Is that what your therapist told you to ask me about when you got home?” 

“He said it might be a good idea, but I was planning on asking you on my own accord before that.” 

Shiro scoffed. “Yeah? Well, seeing as you follow all of your therapist’s instructions, I might as well let you do this whole ‘open marriage’ thing.” 

“Takashi, I already told you. You’re allowed to do it, too.”

“And I already told you. But seeing as how you’ve already put thought into this, who are you looking at?” 

Chagrin paled. “How do you know that I was already thinking about a person?”

“It’s not like it was that hard to figure out. You obviously took a while to think about this and bring it up with your therapist, probably even multiple times. You’re not the type of person to just spring something like this on someone you care about. Someone you’re married to.” Shiro looked out the window and sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to patronize you or anything like that. If your therapist thinks that this is a good idea, then we might as well see it through. So, who did you have in mind?”

It took him a long time to reply, but after several moments, he took a breath and looked directly at Shiro. “It’s Dr. Montgomery.” 

For all of Shiro’s people reading techniques, he was never able to detect the attraction the other man felt for his therapist. He didn’t track the facial expressions and tone used when Chicanery talked about his most recent session. He was blind to the way that his husband had fallen for his therapist, even if it was only slightly. 

“Are you serious? The one person you’re, like, NOT supposed to fall for. That’s who you want to sleep with?” 

“I know! And it’s not like it could happen anyways. I admitted it all today. He told me that he believes that my sessions with him would not be helpful anymore, and that it would be better if I found a new therapist. I thought that he meant that we should stop seeing each other in a patient-doctor relationship, and transition to a more physical one. Then, he told me that he meant that my feelings compromised the validity and professionalism of my sessions, and that made him uncomfortable.” 

Shiro used every ounce of will he had in his body to not look or act smug. Even with the extreme satisfaction he felt at his husband—who was so sure of himself the day before, so sure in what he wanted—who looked like all of his carefully laid plans had been burned down in front of him. Nevertheless, he understood both shooting someone down and being shot down. It was unpleasant, and made one feel a bit less than. So, instead of gloating, he simply had the grace to look sympathetic. 

Choleric seemed to appreciate the gesture, and (thankfully) did not ask more of Shiro. 

“I’m gonna go out for a little bit. Maybe stop by the coffee shop, but really I just have to go clear my head for a while. And, I suppose, look for a new therapist. Montgomery offered to refer me to a colleague, but I’d rather not. Probably best to start fresh, now that I’ve embarrassed myself like that in front of one of the few people that knows all of my secrets.” 

“That sounds like a healthy way to handle it. A healthy way to do things. Uh, I might not be here when you get back, though. Matt invited me to a performance at the cafe nearby. Apparently the performer is one of his sister’s friends. I don’t know when I’ll be home.”

And even though the man had been shot down in both the romance and mental health departments on the same day, it seemed as though that had no effect on how he treated Shiro and the time Shiro spent with his friends. His face twisted into something akin to distaste, and his eyes narrowed just enough to be noticeable. 

“Haven’t you already hung out with your friends once this week? Should you really be spending this much time with people who distract you from your work? I thought you had papers to grade.” 

“I finished them. I don’t have any pressing work-related matters to attend to. And besides, it’s not like Matt just spontaneously asked me. Katie can be very persuasive when she wants to be, and I haven’t seen her in such a long time.”

“Just because you don’t have any pressing matters right now doesn’t mean you won’t have any later today. Are you just going to ignore them until you get back? How sloppy is that? And what if I need you here when I get back? What then?” 

“Look,” Shiro said with another sigh. “We are both adults, we have plenty of people to talk to that aren’t each other. And just because I said that I understand your want for this situation, doesn’t mean I want to hear all about your thoughts, feelings, and experiences on it. I already promised Matt, and I am not going to go back on my word when it’s less than three hours away. I’ll see you when I get back.” 

Despite the glower that Churlish gave him, Shiro felt mildly pleased at the way he had advocated for himself. He retreated back into his office while the other man got the things he needed before leaving to “clear his head”, relishing in the thoughts he’d had when he learned of his husband’s failed efforts. 


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally, Shiro meets Keith.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up! This chapter will be the last update of this fic for 2020. I'm gonna take some time off from posting, as I have a lot of projects to catch up on. See y'all in 2021!

Come 6 pm, Shiro was dressed in worn gray jeans and a white tee that didn’t leave much to the imagination. A leather jacket encompassed the shirt, giving the impression (at least, Shiro hoped it did) that the tee wasn’t as tight as he knew it was. He sent Matt a message that he was leaving his house and would meet him at the cafe soon, and found himself giddy with the excitement that came with his expectations of the rest of the night.

Shiro made it to the cafe by 6:20, and took 5 minutes looking for a spot that didn’t require him to parallel park. Could he do it? Yes. Did he like doing it? Not at all. While most of the normal spaces were already taken, Shiro was able to find the last one in the back corner of the lot. It wasn’t as well lit as he’d have liked it to be, but he wasn’t worried. Most people looked at all 6’4” of him and decided it was best to leave him alone. 

He took a moment to make sure his hair wasn’t all over the place before he stepped out of his car and headed towards the entrance of the cafe. He was only a slight bit early, and yet the Holt siblings had beaten him there, and were standing by the door.

“I’ve never known either of you to be early to anything,” he announced as he approached them. “The world must be coming to an end.” 

“Easy there, Shirogane. You never know, this could be us trying to start a new habit.” Matt tried to look smug, but let his laugh get the better of him.

“We had to help Keith with some of his equipment. That’s why we’re here so early.” Katie, who Matt affectionately called Pidge, rolled her eyes at his lighthearted jab. She was almost the spitting image of Matt, both with the same brown hair and eyes, and surprisingly the exact same glasses. Both men were fond of her, and Shiro saw her as the younger sister he didn’t have. 

“Is that your friend’s name,” he asked. “Keith?” 

“Yeah. We go to the same college. He’s a different major, but we had some of the same core classes.” She made a face before continuing. “Also, don’t be mad at Matt, but he may have told me what’s going on with that piece of shit guy you’re married to.” 

Realistically, Shiro should have admonished her for insulting his husband like that. But he couldn’t find it in him to do so. He knew that he should, that partners were supposed to defend each other when the other wasn’t around to defend themselves. But he also knew that the man he was married to had not only coerced him into this whole situation (and partially blamed him for it), he’d also been dictating how Shiro lived his life for the last 4 years. So he figured he could let it slide, especially since it wasn’t 100% untrue. 

“I know I should be mad at Matt for telling you, and you for insulting him, but I’m not and I can’t be so,” he sighed. “Yeah, it’s a shit situation.” 

“Well, why don’t we go in and get a good seat, and you can tell us all about any developments you have.” Matt backed away from the two of them and held open the door to the cafe. 

“Yeah sure. We’ve got what, like half an hour before your friend goes on?” Shiro raised an eyebrow at Pidge, who was nodding and already heading inside. 

Once they had found a suitable spot to sit, Shiro launched into his explanation of the events from earlier in the day. How Cipher had tried and failed with his (now former) therapist, and how he had tried to keep Shiro in the house yet again. 

“You know, I’m kind of proud of you. You stood up to him for once. Maybe this whole thing is actually beneficial?” 

“As much as I don’t want to admit it, you could be right. But part of me thinks he was just trying to find a way to sleep with his therapist without it being ‘cheating’. Like, it was brought up once and then right after that he goes and propositions the other guy. Doesn’t that seem a little fishy?” 

Matt smirked. “It could be. But remember, he told you that you could do the same. Maybe you can show him how to properly woo a man.” 

“Ha ha.” Shiro rolled his eyes. “You know I am  _ not _ the ‘woo-er’. I’m more of a ‘woo-ee’ type of man.” 

“Same difference. That man looks like a piece of cardboard was given sentience and a narcissistic personality. You could do so much better.” 

Shiro didn’t have time to respond before Pidge shushed them both. “He’s about to start.”

As the emcee announced Keith, Shiro’s phone buzzed. It was none other than Circumscribe, demanding that Shiro come home to comfort him over something the man had brought upon himself. He simply left his husband on read, turned off any and all notifications that would signal that Clanger was trying to contact him, and put his phone on silent as he slipped it back into his pocket. The entire action took the same amount of time as the emcee, and Shiro was able to look up and be rendered absolutely mute and motionless as Keith situated himself on the stool behind the mic. 

Keith was positively the most beautiful man Shiro had ever had the privilege to rest his eyes on. Long, shiny hair fell down past his shoulders in inky, black waves. Even from this distance, he could see that Keith’s eyes were bluer than should be possible, looking almost purple. The spotlight cast bright light and harsh shadows across his face and body, making his feminine-leaning appearance even starker. 

But none of that was any comparison to his  _ voice.  _ Shiro practically melted in his seat once Keith greeted the audience. His voice was rich and husky, just this side of something intimate. When he started to sing, all pretense of lying to himself left Shiro. He had never been so immediately attracted to a man before in his life. It had taken him 3 weeks to see Clinical as more than a friend,  _ after  _ they had started dating. It had taken 7 months for him to feel any sort of sexual attraction to the man, and an entire year to feel anything akin to love.

Keith had unknowingly waltzed into Shiro’s heart and brain and knocked any and all residual love that he felt for his husband. It had been dwindling since the beginning of their marriage and the start of the controlling behavior, and had taken a fatal blow with the whole open marriage situation. But now? Shiro couldn’t remember a time when Culpable had made him feel the way Keith made him feel now, and they hadn’t even met each other. 

  
  


After Keith’s set, both Holts stood up. Shiro was mildly confused, but Matt was quick to explain. 

“We’re going to help Keith load all his stuff back into the cars. Would you like to help?” 

Shiro felt his heart rate pick up a bit. Meet the guy he’d been falling for and fawning over less than an hour ago? It didn’t seem like the best ideas in the world. But also, meeting the hottest guy he’d ever seen in his life in person? Which could lead to more interactions with him, seeing as they had mutual friends? That sounded like a fantastic idea.

“Oh, yeah. No problem. As long as he isn’t adverse to meeting new people.” 

“Oh no. He might be a little introverted but he doesn’t mind less than 5 people,” Pidge answered, leading the way towards the side of the stage. Shiro and Matt followed close behind. The cafe wasn’t small by any means, and there weren’t a large mass of people there, but it still felt a bit crowded, and Shiro wasn’t exactly the smallest man in the world. He kept himself kinda scrunched up until they reached the little corridor that led to the side of the stage, and the door where musicians and performers would load their equipment. 

The aforementioned door was propped open by an amp, and Keith was carrying out his guitars, supposedly to the small loading area that he’d backed his car into. By the time he returned, the three of them had made it to the door. 

Pidge spoke first. “Hey, you did great!” 

Shiro tried not to overthink at the sight of how Keith’s cheeks tinted a light pink, and a tiny smile quirked up the corners of his (very pretty) mouth. He would not objectify this man, no matter how much his hindbrain wanted him to. He had more dignity than that. And he had been so wrapped up in his own thoughts while he yelled at himself internally, that he almost missed hearing Keith’s voice up close. 

“You think so? I thought some people were bored during my set. I almost stopped after the second song and called it quits.” 

If Shiro had thought that Keith’s voice was amazing through the microphone, it was nothing compared to how it sounded when he was only 5 feet away. The mic couldn’t pick up the slight twang in his voice. It wasn’t able to register just how  _ smooth  _ it was, like words were never an issue with him, always rolling off the tongue with minimal effort. Shiro felt a tug in his gut that he’d never experienced with another person in his life. Not even with Cagey. As faithful as he had wanted to be before, none of that registered now. 

Matt was quick to assuage Keith’s worries. “Nah. You just thought that. Things are different when you’re all lit up looking into a darkened room. Besides, it was only your first performance. I’ll bet you’ll do even better at your next one.” 

“You’re probably right. Thanks. Think you guys could handle the amp again?”

In true Holt fashion, but Pidge and Matt stood perfectly straight and saluted Keith. “Yes, sir, Mr. Kogane. Leave it to us!” But when they each squatted down on either side of it to lift it, it was clear that it wasn’t as easy as they had hoped for. 

Shiro chuckled and rolled his eyes at their theatrics. “The two of you are going to break something. Let me.” He shooed them both out of the way, got behind the amp to hold the door as he pushed it gently away with his foot, then squatted down and leaned forward to place his hands underneath the front of it. Once he knew his feet wouldn’t slip, and that he had a firm grasp on the amp, he took a deep breath, and exhaled as he stood and lifted it into the air. He was grateful to the jacket he was wearing, as he knew that the muscles in his arms were on full display, and he wasn’t one to consistently show off. His strength and bulk were for himself, no one else. 

After the Holts fired off a quick “thanks”, they led him to their car and opened the trunk. Shiro was able to lean in and deposit the amp safely, without scuffing the slight lip on the back of the car. 

“Is that everything that’s supposed to go in here?” He looked questioningly at them both, but it was neither of them who answered. 

“Uh, yeah. Thank you. You definitely didn’t have to do that.” 

Shiro froze slightly at the sound of the best voice he had ever heard (It seemed like that descriptor wasn’t going away anytime soon). As Matt closed the trunk, he turned around to face Keith, using all the willpower in his body to not blush like a middle school student talking to his crush. 

“It was no problem. I just didn’t want these two dropping it, either on the ground or on their feet.”

“I get it. So, you know the Holts?” 

Matt took the moment to laugh. “My dear Keith, Shiro doesn’t just  _ know _ us. We grew UP together! He used to join us for family dinners.” 

“Shiro?” Keith looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Ah, my full name is Takashi Shirogane, but everyone calls me Shiro.” He held his hand out. “It’s nice to meet you. I enjoyed your set.”

Keith looked away as he shook Shiro’s hand, but the taller man was sure that he could see the faintest hint of a blush on the other’s face. It made him look that much cuter, and Shiro knew that there was only so much he could take before his hindbrain got the better of him. 

“I, uh, thanks. That was my first time, actually.” Keith’s scrunched his eyes closed in embarrassment as realization of what he had said dawned on him. “I-I meant my first time performing.” 

Shiro knew that the correct response would be to passively ignore the perceived mistake, and to instead focus on the other sentence spoken. So why did he have such a hard time accomplishing that?

“Really? I didn’t even realize. You sounded like you’ve been performing for a while.” 

“Keith has been enlisting the two of us as guinea pigs for months.” Pidge had stepped into the bubble that the other two had unknowingly created. “I found out that he played guitar when I showed up to his dorm once to force him out of bed and to our study session.”

“Yeah, and then you pestered me to play something for you for weeks until I did.” Keith sounded slightly ticked, as if the series of events that led him to today were entirely inconvenient, but his face said something different. It was clear that he was as fond of the younger Holt as Shiro was. 

“And look at how it turned out!” She gave him a wicked smile. “If it weren’t for me and Matty here, you would have never gotten the guts to perform in front of actual people.” 

“Does that mean that you and Matt aren’t actual people?”

Shiro laughed. “Everyone knows that these two are actually gremlins.” 

“And yet we’re friends with them.” The sound of Keith’s laughter nearly made Shiro’s heart stop. It seemed that the longer that he stood there, the more attracted he was to this man. 

“Uh, yeah we are. Somehow.” He chuckled along with him. 

“We’re right here, you know. And don’t you have to move your car Keith? I don’t think it can stay in that loading area all night.” Matt gestured over to where Keith had parked. 

“Ah, shit. You’re right.” He ran a hand through his hair and Shiro took the brief moment to involuntarily imagine what Keith would look like if Shiro was the one pulling his hair. Despite how short the moment was, Shiro was even more convinced that he needed to both spend more time with the other man, but also leave the area immediately, before he made an absolute fool of himself. 

“I wasn’t planning on staying after my set. I wasn’t sure what the reception would be, so I asked the owner to keep some flyers advertising my next gigs. That way, if people wanted them, they had the option to grab them.”

“You’re performing at a bar next time, right? Guess I won’t be able to join you then.” Pidge shot a look at Shiro, which confused him, but he wasn’t about to question the smaller Holt. 

“Yeah. It’s called Eclipse. Thankfully, the guy who owns the place has people to help me load and set up.”    
“Oh!” Matt’s eyes lit up with a devious gleam. “Shiro and I go there all the time with another one of our friends. Maybe we’ll stop by.” 

“Uh, sure. As long as I’m not making you guys cancel other plans.”

And although it was definitely not the answer that Shiro would have given a week ago, he replied with, “nah. Matt and I will be your groupies at any over-21 place you perform at. Gotta help you keep the super bold fans away, don’t we?” 

Keith laughed again, a sound that Shiro knew he would never tire of hearing. “Sounds great. I go on at 7, again, next Friday night. I’ll see you guys then.” 


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to "[Man] gets worse...and then even worse, which we didn't think was possible."

Shiro returned home feeling lighter than he had over the past few days. His time with Keith and the Holts had made him almost completely forget about the mess that was happening in his marriage. Spending time with the Holts always had him putting his troubles on the backburner for the duration of the time he was with them, even when he asked for their advice about whatever it was. They made it frighteningly easy to disregard situations and circumstances that weren’t Holt related.

And Keith, well, that was its own problem entirely. No, ‘problem’ wasn’t the right word, but Shiro wasn’t sure what to replace it with. He was completely in awe at how a man could infiltrate his mind like that. His face,his voice, his hair, his  _ eyes _ . All of it had smacked Shiro in the face when he was at his least prepared. And he was so… Shiro didn’t know where he was going with that. 

But Keith had almost instantly taken the Holts’ familiarity and friendship with Shiro and understood that he was safe. He wasn’t like other people, or his students (and their parents), who took one look at him and determined that his height and build were a threat. In fact, the grip at which Keith had shaken Shiro’s hand hinted that Keith was definitely not incapable of holding his own. Maybe Shiro had found a sparring partner that could last longer than 5 minutes in the ring. 

_ Maybe you found a partner that could keep you focused for longer than 5 minutes in bed.  _

Shiro caught himself blushing and internally cursing his hindbrain. He wasn’t caught up in sleeping with someone else the way Cadastral was. Thinking about the man had gotten rid of his thoughts about Keith, and reminded him of the barrage of attempted contact his husband had thrown at him hours before. 

As if he had simply manifested it with his thoughts, he was greeted by an angry husband the moment he walked through the front door. He tried not to sigh or roll his eyes. 

“Where the hell have you been?” Cantaloup stood up from the couch, a tone of anger in his voice that Shiro had no reason to believe he deserved to use. What could he possibly have to be angry at Shiro for? Not letting his husband cry on his shoulder cause he got rejected?

“I don’t understand why you keep asking me that question. I constantly tell you where I’m going before I leave, the only exception being last night. It is barely 9 o’clock, and here you are, demanding to know where I’ve been like some sort of prison warden.” 

“I’ve spent the last two hours calling you and what do I get? Radio silence. When I  _ needed  _ you.”    
Shiro scoffed. “You didn’t need me. You just didn’t like that I was hanging out with Matt.” 

“Of course I need you. I always need you. You know that.” 

“Yeah? Well, the last few days could have fooled me. Really, it seems like you only ever need me when I’m not doing the things that  _ you  _ want me to do. Hanging out with the Holts? That’s never something you want me to do, so you pitch a fit about it.” 

“You hung out with Matt and Allisa last night. Isn’t once a week enough for you?” 

“Goddammit, couldn’t you at least care enough to remember their names correctly? Her name is  _ Allura,  _ which you would know if you’d ever come out with us. But no, you continue to have a problem with my friends for no reason.”

“For no reason? I know that Matt doesn’t like me. He’s never liked me. I don’t understand why you even hang out with him when he’s always telling you that you should leave me.” 

Shiro sighed with more force than he thought he should have, but at this point, he didn’t care. “Alright, first off, not everything revolves around you. We are not always talking about you. Hell, most of the time, you don’t even come up in conversation. They have lives, too, you know. Secondly, he’s been my friend since we started at the Garrison. I’ve known him longer than anyone else in this country! Even longer than you, and I’m not going to be one of those people who stops talking to their friends just because I got into a relationship.” 

“So him being your friend for longer than you’ve known me gives him priority over me? The man you’re fucking married to? Nice to know where I stand on your list.” 

“If you had been stranded or injured or dying, I would have left and come to you. But I knew you weren’t. I  _ knew _ . All those texts you sent me, before the show started? They were all nothing more than thinly veiled insults and cheap threats trying to goad me into coming home, because you were mad at me. Mad that I wasn’t more invested in your failed attempt at sex with your therapist.” 

“What? So I’m not allowed to be upset that I was rejected. He was the one who even brought up the whole open relationship thing. What else was I supposed to think? And then I come home and try to explain what happened to you and it’s like you balled all my words up and threw them in the trash. Like everything I said was worthless.”

“Your therapist was exactly that. Your therapist. If he was even remotely interested in you he would have sent you to someone new and explained that his feelings were getting in the way of an unbiased assessment and unbiased treatment. That never happened, meaning you were reading too much into things and you made him uncomfortable.” \

Cabbalisms rubbed at his face. “ Yeah I got that part. But you’re, surprise surprise, ignoring the second part of what I said.” 

“I’m not but, I guess I have to say it again. I’ll support this- whatever the fuck this is for you. But I do NOT want to hear about all the nitty gritty details that are involved. I don’t want to hear about you hitting on other men. I don’t want to hear about whose bed you were in. Leave me out of it.” 

“Wow. Love the support. And then what? What happens when you start going out and holding up your end of this?” 

“ _ If _ I do start going out, I’ll give you the same courtesy. I won’t enrich you with all the details about who I met. Now, if you’re done trying to chastise me like you’re my parent, I’m going to my office. I suggest that you leave me be.” 

Cabrito glared at him for a moment, before huffing a sigh and stepping away from him.

“Fine. I’m going to a bar, then. Don’t wait up for me.” He started towards the front door to grab his shoes and jacket. 

“Wasn’t planning on it. You can sleep in the guest room when you get back.” Shiro turned away then, headed towards his office. He ignored his husband’s startled and angered “Takashi!” as he left the room. He owed that man absolutely nothing. 

  
  


It was several hours before Shiro heard the front door open and shut again. He was already in bed and half asleep, but the noise had made him stir. After checking the clock (which read 1:57 am, he debated pulling the same shit that Cabrioles had done to him, and standing in the hallway towards theirs and the guest room, but he decided that he’d been petty enough for the day. What almost had him jumping out of bed, though, was the sound of a man’s quiet laughter. A laugh that didn’t belong to his husband.

Shiro saw red. He didn’t care that the man was going out and having his fun and whatever else. He didn’t care that he was given “permission” to do the same. None of that mattered. Sure, it was a bit of kick to his pride, but it wasn’t a huge deal. Not now, that he knew that his husband was serious and 100 percent going along with it. 

But for that man to bring his lays into THEIR house. When Shiro was just across the hall. When Shiro could hear the fumbling and wet kisses and laughter that came from sudden intimacy through his bedroom door. When his husband knew that the soundproofing in the house wasn’t the best and that meant that Shiro would be subject to any noise louder than slightly above normal speaking volume. It was inappropriate. It was beyond disrespectful, beyond insulting. It was completely and utterly fucked up. And all that Shiro could think to do was use a pair of earplugs that he had left over from his piloting days, and turn away from the door, small tears falling from his eyes.

The idea that his husband couldn’t even be courteous enough to fuck his one-nights anywhere else but here was single-handedly the worst thing that Shiro could come up with. He would rather have Cadastral be cheating on him and sneaking around behind his back. That would have been better than this. Sure, he would have still been blindsided, but it would still be better than this. 

With his husband in the other room, noisily fucking a man that Shiro would never meet, he felt the last of the love he felt for the man dissipate into nothingness. Yes, things had been dwindling, and yes, maybe he should have done something before now to rectify it, but there was never a time that he felt a need or even a want to. Maybe, this whole thing was a message from the universe that he needed to stop settling. That, for once, he was to go out and do what he wanted to do. 

So, despite the dull pain he felt at his husband’s actions, and the sounds coming from the other room, Shiro was excited. Cacophony could do and say whatever, it would do nothing to sour the plans that Shiro had for himself now. 


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith's second show, and the events before and after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will not be posting a new chapter next weekend, as I have a project due on Wednesday that I have a little bit left to work on. Thank you all for all of your continued support!

The next week consisted of Cabinetries just existing in the same place as Shiro. They didn’t speak to each other. Not about the disrespect, not about the man that left at dawn on Sunday morning, not about the fight they’d had after Shiro had met Keith. Nothing. Shiro barely saw the man when he was at home anyways. He left for work before the man woke up, and got home while he was still out. Cacographer was out three nights of the week. He typically came home around 2 or 3 am, storming about and cursing in an angry whisper before going into the guest room and slamming the door. 

Shiro didn’t mind. He hadn’t minded all week, and with the erosion of the last of his love for the man, he’d taken his ring off and shoved it in the top drawer of his nightstand. Cylindroid didn’t even notice. He paid no attention to Shiro, and Shiro couldn’t care less. In fact, it was nice not having to listen to his husband gripe about how much time he spent out of the house, or how he hadn’t done the chores yet, or made dinner. He could go to the gym at his leisure, do the chores at an easier pace. He didn’t have the feeling that if he wasn’t 100% perfect, Century would make his life hell. 

By the time Saturday came around, Shiro was in a headspace that he hadn’t been in since before the war. He had no overbearing husband, no serious matter to attend to at work, and he was about to see a man who’d rocked him on his axis without even a single touch. 

“So you’re headed out again? What is that, 3 times in the last 8 days?” 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “I’m pretty sure that you have absolutely no right to question my comings and goings, seeing as you haven’t been coming home consistently at all.” 

The man blanched, then responded with his head down and his voice quiet. “I wasn’t aware that you heard me. I thought you were asleep at that point.”

“Yeah well, you were pretty loud from the time you walked through the front door to when you walked into your bedroom. It wasn’t all that hard to know when you got home.” 

His husband had the grace to look embarrassed, but Shiro didn’t care either way. It was already 6:15, and just like last week, he wanted to be there early to talk with his friends before the show started. 

Because Keith was going to perform at Eclipse, Matt had thought it to be a good idea to invite Allura. Shiro loved having her perspective on a multitude of issues, as she was the most level headed out of the three of them. Plus, he had a lot to catch her up on, as he had only seen her after the initial revelation of the open marriage scenario. He quickly grabbed his phone and keys off the counter and headed out the door. 

He made it to the bar by 6:50, mostly due to the dinner time traffic in the city. That alone had him slightly frustrated, but the texts he’d received while he drove were even more pressing. Of course, he didn’t text and drive, as he knew it was dangerous, but his car was capable of text-to-speech, and he had simply had it read out the texts he’d gotten. 

First, his husband had sent him a text saying he’d also be going out that night, and that he probably wouldn’t be returning that night, in an attempt to make Shiro aware of his comings and goings. Shiro couldn’t find it in him to care. If Cabbagehead didn’t care enough to do it  _ before  _ Shiro brought it up, then why did it have any merit now? 

Secondly, and much more important, was that both Matt  _ and  _ Allura told him that neither of them would be able to show up tonight. Allura’s message was apologetic, and she explained that she had to help her father with something and she hadn’t realized that the two events coincided. Matt, however, had done his best to convey his shit-eating grin through text. He told Shiro that Pidge needed him for an assignment that was due that night and because of such, he couldn’t show up tonight. But he did wish Shiro “a grand time staring and pining after Keith.” 

Shiro was slightly suspicious of Matt’s excuse, but he didn’t have much time to contemplate on it. It was nearly time for Keith’s set to start. He quickly entered the building and found an empty seat at the bartop. Keith was already on stage, faced away from the audience as he tuned his guitar. 

Shiro couldn’t help himself from staring. To stare at the back of the other man was just as appealing as staring at the front. Keith was wearing a slightly baggy shirt, but it was just fitted enough for him to see the faint lines of toned muscle, and he nearly had to keep himself from drooling. He realized that standing in the middle of the room was probably a bad idea, so he made his way over to the bar and took a seat at the end that was closest to the stage. He ordered a lemon drop and made himself comfortable. He didn’t want to miss a moment of Keith’s set.

  
  
  


“Hey, I’m glad you could make it. Where’s Matt?” Though Shiro had already met Keith and had an entire conversation with him, he still felt a wave of middle school attraction crash over him when he heard the other man’s voice.

“He couldn’t make it. Said that Pidge needed his help with something that was due tonight.” He turned in his seat towards the bar while Keith sat next to him.

“Ah, that makes sense. She was frustrated over something when I was on my way out. It kind of sucks that he left you here alone, though.” 

“Eh, I wouldn’t say I’m alone.” He flashed a smile in the other’s direction. “You’re here with me.” 

Now, normally, Shiro wouldn’t dare to be that bold in a conversation. But over the course of Keith’s set he’d nursed his drink and had no water, so he was loosened up a little more than he’d usually be. Keith didn’t seem to mind though, as he had a slight blush creeping up to the tops of his ears. 

“Yeah, you got me there. I guess you were serious about being my groupie.” 

Shiro laughed. “Why wouldn’t I be? As attractive as you are, I’m surprised there isn’t a line out the door just to talk to you.”

Once again, Keith blushed, and Shiro preened at the fact that he was privy to the sight, as well as the sound of the other man’s laughter. 

“You know, you’re a lot more talkative when you’ve got what, a drink or two in you?” 

“You caught me. It was only two, and I’m about to have a glass of water here in a sec, but I am a lightweight. It’s in my genes.”

“Well, I can’t say that I hate it. But, I am getting kind of hungry, and I’d rather not eat here, unless you’d recommend it.” 

Shiro chuckled. “Stars, no. Matt, Allura, and I come here once or twice a month, and we have never once eaten here.” 

“Tell you what, how about you sober up, and we can go drop my equipment off back at my apartment, and then we can go to a place that sells something a bit more edible?” 

“Keith Kogane, are you asking me out on a date?” Shiro was completely enamored at this point, and full-on flirting. No man had ever made him feel like this, and it was exhilarating.

“It can be a date if you  _ want  _ it to be a date.” 

There was something in the way Keith sounded that sent a chill down Shiro’s spine. He quickly ordered two waters and tried not to down them at breakneck speed, while Keith sent a text to Pidge and looked for a place for them to eat. 

Shiro decided that if this was going to be some kind of date, he was going to be just as gentlemanly as he would if he was on a date with anyone else. When they made it to Keith and Pidge’s apartment, he helped the man unload his equipment (definitely not another chance to show off his strength) and place it back in his room. To be honest, he wasn’t allowed to actually go into Keith’s room, as he was told that it was a mess and not fit for guests. Keith had him set down anything he brought inside by his door, and then would take it in while he blocked the view of his room through the door. 

The Holts were sitting in the living room, trying (and failing) to inconspicuously guess at what was happening in front of them. When Keith asked Shiro to give him 10 minutes for a quick shower and a change of clothes, they started to whisper even more furiously to each other. Once his bedroom door was closed, Shiro turned to face the two of them. 

“I hope you know that neither of you are being quiet.”

Matt smiled at him sheepishly. “Can you blame us? You and Keith show up together and then he asks you to wait for him?” 

“Yeah, no thanks to you. I know that Pidge couldn’t come with us but you, Matthew Holt, abandoned me. I had to keep the groupies in check all on my own.”

“It seems like you did a fine job by yourself. And look, you got a date in the process. Seems like me giving you some time alone was a big help. You owe me one, now.”

“I owe you nothing. Anyways, did you help Pidge with whatever assignment it was?” 

Pidge answered for her brother. “Oh, yeah. We got it finished. It was way easier with him around to make it make sense.”

The three of them continued to chatter until Keith stepped out of his bedroom and once again shut the door.

“Are you ready to go,” Shiro asked.

“Yep. I already picked a place. I can drive, unless you want to?”

Shiro pulled his keys out of his pocket and somehow managed to suavely swing the ring on his finger. “I’ll drive if you’ll be the navigator.”

  
  


The two of them found themselves at a burger joint a few miles away from the bar, tucked away at a booth in the far corner away from the door. While some people might not like feeling as if they’d been shoved away from the public eye, the two of them didn’t mind at all. It was nice to be able to sit here and talk to each other with hardly a distraction. Keith had talked Shiro into having a hard lemonade, which had a lower alcohol content than his earlier drink at the bar, and was much more refreshing, while Keith himself had a beer. Even with that, he found himself with a higher level of confidence, and was having an easy time talking with the other man. Of course, not all of that could be contributed to their drinks. Keith was easy to talk to, as if he and Shiro were childhood friends. In the span of two hours, they had learned more about each other than Shiro had told Cutlet in their first 2 months of dating. 

“It seems like my groupie has more to him than just a ridiculous amount of upper body strength.” 

“It seems that the musician I’m following has more to him than a pretty face and voice.” 

“You’ve got me there.” There was that wonderful laugh and blush again. “Think you’ll keep following me, then?” 

“I will if you’d like me to.” 

“I’d very much like you to.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like more current updates, feel free to check the thread on [Twitter!](https://twitter.com/neekqueen1/status/1328074417453355008)


End file.
